UCLA football notebook: Blocking out the praise isn’t easy

(John Valenzuela/ Staff Photographer) Myles Jack (#30)-UCLA football team practices during their preseason training camp at Cal State San Bernardino on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. UCLA will hold the football camp at CSUSB through August 17, and will hold 14 practices open to the public.

ESPN College Gameday analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Lee Corso each picked the Bruins to win the Pac-12 ‑ an unexpected show of consensus given Oregon’s status as the media poll favorite.

They didn’t stop there. Howard and Corso both chose UCLA to win the national title over defending national champion Florida State.

So yes, the Bruins hear the chatter. Even if they insist it isn’t important.

“It definitely feels different,” star linebacker Myles Jack said Monday. “You can close your ears all you want, but you’re going to hear what people are saying about your team. You’re gonna come across an article here or there, or just turn on ESPN and hear them say good stuff about us. We’re aware of what the expectations are.”

Two of six NFL.com experts picked UCLA as the best bet to “crash” the inaugural four-team College Football Playoff, with a third mentioning the Bruins before opting for Michigan State. Sports Illustrated and USA Today both had UCLA ranked No. 5 on their college football rankings. The former placed quarterback Brett Hundley on its magazine cover twice in three weeks.

So how does one block all this out? By taking it ‑ say it all together now ‑ one week at a time. The Bruins have a 9 a.m. PT date in Charlottesville this Saturday, and the whole team is itching to finally play a real game.

“We can just start simmering down on Virginia,” Jack said. “That’s all we’re worried about this week. No other teams matter. We’re just worried about one game.

“We lose this game, and everybody goes away.”

By the way, UCLA is a 21.5-point favorite to beat the Cavaliers, whose 2-10 record last season was their worst since 1981. Not that the Bruins care.

Extra duties?

How soon will Jack return to the offensive backfield? The first-ever two-way Pac-12 Freshman of the Year kept coy on Monday.

“It really just depends on the coaches,” Jack said. “Me personally, I’m more than up to it. They’ve talked to me a little about it, just hinting here and there. I’m sure it’ll be like last year, where it’ll be kind of an unorthodox, last-minute type of deal. But whatever they have me doing, I’m up for it.”

Jack debuted as a running back last November with little practice, turning six carries into 120 yards and a touchdown in a 31-26 win at Arizona. The then-freshman ended the season second on the team with seven rushing touchdowns.

Even if he isn’t featured in offensive packages this weekend, it’s difficult to see his talents going unused by the time UCLA begins conference play at Arizona State on Sept. 25.

Brand new attitude

To try to figure out why UCLA has turned around its special teams so dramatically over the last two seasons, senior linebacker Ryan Hofmeister is a good person to ask.

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After transferring from Riverside Community College, Hofmeister redshirted the 2011 season and saw how the team looked in its final year under former head coach Rick Neuheisel. Last year, he became a second team All-Pac-12 selection on special teams. He was recently voted a team co-captain for the second straight season.

In 2011, the Bruins ranked 76th nationally in opposing punt returns (9.13 yards per game) and 105th in opposing kickoff returns (24.05). Last year, it ranked 16th (3.94) and 17th (18.67), respectively. According to Hofmeister, much of the improvement in that unit can be traced to a cultural shift that head coach Jim Mora sparked.

“Coming from before, it was more of guys not respecting special teams as something they wanted to do,” Hofmeister said. “With Coach Mora coming in here, amping it up to where it’s a privilege to be on special teams ‑ I think more and more of the guys are believing in that. It’s becoming more competitive.

“Guys are taking that as an opportunity to get on the field and show what they can do. That’ll correlate to whether they get on the field on defense or offense, showing what they’re capable of out there. There’s a lot of pride that goes into it.”